Turners Auctions Ltd

What Turners Auctions Ltd does

Turners Auctions Ltd is New Zealand's largest used vehicle and multi-category auction house, operating a nationwide network of 20+ physical branches from Whangarei to Invercargill. Founded in 1966, the company sells approximately 3,000 cars at any given time with another 1,500 in preparation, and has transacted over 1 million vehicles across nearly 60 years of operation. The product portfolio spans Turners Cars (the core used-vehicle business), Trucks & Machinery, Boats & Marine, Motorcycles & Scooters, Buses/Caravans/Motorhomes, General Goods, and Damaged Vehicles, all running through a shared auction infrastructure.

The technical backbone is the Turners Live online bidding platform, which permits global remote participation in auctions with synchronized real-time pricing. Supporting systems include the Car Valuation Tool, saved search and email alert functionality, the CashNow direct-purchase appraisal service (online booking with sub-30-minute appointments), Turners Mobile Servicing (a dispatched service team), and The Good Oil Blog, a twice-weekly automotive content and newsletter property. The platform integrates with Trade Me for marketplace distribution and MotorWeb for vehicle history data, while NZTA authorization under section 241(1) of the Land Transport Act 1998 grants privileged access to ownership and title records.

The business operates as a fully privately held subsidiary of Turners Automotive Group Limited and generates revenue from multiple streams: buyer transaction fees (7% on general goods, 10.75% on boats), tiered seller commissions (e.g., 9.5% above $1,500 for boats, with $75 entry fees), BuyNow margins on owned inventory, finance and insurance referral commissions (personal/business/truck finance, motor and mechanical breakdown insurance), Trade Me marketplace commissions, and direct vehicle purchases via CashNow. Customers span individual consumers buying personal vehicles, commercial fleet operators disposing of vehicles and machinery, marine buyers and sellers, and businesses in liquidation or receivership selling surplus stock and assets through the Commercial & Industrial division.

Name

Turners Auctions Ltd

Legal name

Turners Group NZ Limited

Website

https://turners.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Turners Auctions Ltd is New Zealand's largest used vehicle and multi-category auction network, operating 20+ physical branches nationwide with nearly 3,000 cars in stock plus an online bidding platform (Turners Live), serving individual consumers, commercial fleet operators, and business liquidators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vehicle Auction Services

akta.pro primary industry

Wholesale Vehicle Auctions (Physical & Online) (TLABAKAA)

Keywords

• Vehicle auction services
• Used car sales
• Online vehicle auctions
• Commercial vehicle auctions
• Auto finance insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices24 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Auction Buyer Fees: Buyers pay a percentage fee on winning bids at auction, with minimum fees applied. For General Goods: 7% of bid with minimum $100 + GST. For Boats & Marine: 10.75% including GST with minimum $100. These fees cover guarantee of clear ownership and legitimacy.
2. Auction Seller Fees: Sellers pay commission based on sale price tiers. For Boats: Up to $499 at 27%, $500-$1,499 at $360 plus 5.5%, $1,500+ at 9.5%. Entry fees of $75 per auction also apply. Marine goods have separate tiered structures.
3. Vehicle Sales Revenue: Revenue from sale of owned vehicles through BuyNow pricing, with margins on vehicle acquisitions and subsequent sales to consumers.
4. Finance & Insurance Services: Turners provides car finance, car insurance, and mechanical breakdown insurance through partnerships, generating referral and commission income.
5. Trade Me Partnership: Auctions conducted in partnership with Trade Me marketplace, with shared traffic and bidding across both platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Turners Auctions Ltd operates New Zealand's largest used vehicle auction and retail network, listing nearly 3,000 cars across 20+ physical branches and the Turners Live online bidding platform. The company runs multi-category auctions spanning cars, trucks and machinery, boats and marine, motorcycles, buses/caravans/motorhomes, damaged vehicles, and general goods, with sales methods including auction, BuyNow instant purchase, and tender. Supplementary services include vehicle finance, car insurance, NZTA change-of-ownership processing, CashNow instant appraisals, and mobile servicing.

Product overview

Turners Auctions Ltd operates a multi-category auction and retail platform across New Zealand, serving as the country's largest used car network. The product portfolio consists of Turners Cars (core used vehicle sales), Turners Trucks & Machinery (commercial vehicles and equipment), Turners Boats & Marine, Turners Buses/Caravans/Motorhomes, Turners Motorcycles & Scooters, Turners General Goods (commercial and industrial goods), and Turners Damaged Vehicles. These divisions share the Turners Live online bidding platform for nationwide auctions, supplemented by BuyNow and Tender sale methods. Supporting services include Car Finance, Car Insurance, CashNow appraisal service, and Turners Mobile Servicing. The Turners Live platform enables online participation across all divisions, while The Good Oil Blog provides automotive content. The company maintains over 20 physical branch locations nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Turners Live: Online bidding platform for participating in auctions remotely
• CashNow
• Turners Mobile Servicing

Products and services

• Turners Cars NZ's largest used car network with over 20 dealer locations nationwide, offering nearly 3,000 cars for sale via auction, BuyNow instant purchase, and tender, with a 5-Day Moneyback Guarantee on BuyNow purchases. Targeted at individual consumers and small commercial buyers.
• Turners Trucks & Machinery Auction and sales channel for trucks, commercial vehicles, and heavy machinery, serving fleet operators, construction companies, and commercial & industrial sellers. Tenders feature photo-illustrated listings with minimum reserve prices.
• Turners Boats & Marine Auction and retail sales of boats and marine craft, including motorboats, sailing vessels, jet skis, and trailers, for both individual buyers and commercial marine operators.
• Turners Buses, Caravans & Motorhomes Auction and sales channel for buses, caravans, and motorhomes serving individual recreational buyers, tourism operators, and passenger transport businesses.
• Turners Motorcycles & Scooters Auction and retail sales of motorcycles, scooters, and related two-wheeled vehicles for individual consumers and small commercial buyers.
• Turners General Goods
• Turners Damaged Vehicles Auction sales of damaged, repairable, and insurance write-off vehicles for individual buyers, rebuilders, and traders seeking value-priced vehicles.
• Turners Live Proprietary online auction platform enabling real-time remote bidding on Turners' vehicle inventory, complementing in-branch auctions and providing nationwide buyer reach.
• Car Finance Vehicle financing product offered to Turners customers purchasing cars at auction or via BuyNow, supporting consumer and small commercial buyers with purchase funding.
• Car Insurance Vehicle insurance product bundled with vehicle purchases, providing cover for buyers of Turners' used cars, trucks, and other vehicles.
• CashNow Instant vehicle appraisal and cash purchase service allowing sellers to receive an immediate offer for their vehicle without going through the auction process, providing a direct liquidity option.
• Turners Mobile Servicing Mobile vehicle servicing operation that provides on-site preparation, Warrant of Fitness (WOF) inspections, and condition checks for vehicles sold through Turners auctions and BuyNow.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sold over 1 million cars to New Zealand customers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Trade MecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTurners conducts auctions in partnership with Trade Me marketplace. Listings appear on both platforms with synchronized real-time pricing. No additional buyer fees for Trade Me auctions. This partnership extends Turners' reach to Trade Me's large user base.
• NZ Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTurners holds authorization under section 241(1) of the Land Transport Act 1998 to obtain vehicle ownership and history information from NZTA for verifying ownership details during vehicle transactions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Grays (Grays eCommerce Group): Australian multi-category online auction house covering vehicles, equipment, and general goods. Comparable online auction model and asset category breadth to Turners' Turners Live platform.
• Pickles Auctions: Australia's largest auction group covering vehicles, trucks, machinery, and general goods with both physical and online channels. Closest geographic and structural analog to Turners, operating in the trans-Tasman market.
• Webb's Auction House: Established NZ auction house covering art, antiques, and luxury goods. Comparable in auction mechanics and NZ market presence but operates in non-overlapping asset categories rather than direct vehicle competition.
• Aalders Auctions: NZ-based auction house covering antiques, art, and general goods. Comparable domestic auction operation but in different asset categories, serving as a useful NZ auction industry comparable.

Broad incumbents

• Auto Auction Services (Manheim Australia): Australian arm of Manheim running physical and online vehicle auctions. Operates in the trans-Tasman market and represents the type of scaled, multi-channel vehicle auction competitor that could eventually contest the NZ market.
• Copart: US-listed salvage and used vehicle auction company with global operations. Comparable in online auction mechanics and damaged vehicle remarketing, a segment Turners serves through its Damaged Vehicles division.
• Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers: Global multi-category auction house including trucks, machinery, and heavy equipment. Comparable to Turners' Trucks & Machinery and General Goods divisions, and to its online auction infrastructure (similar in concept to Turners Live).
• Manheim (Cox Automotive): Global leader in wholesale vehicle auctions operated by Cox Automotive. Directly comparable as a scaled vehicle auctioneer with physical and online channels, though Manheim operates globally while Turners is NZ-focused.

Direct peers

• Barons Auctions: NZ-based auction house covering classic and specialty vehicles with online bidding. Smaller scale than Turners but competes in the NZ vehicle auction category, particularly for collector and specialty segments.

Emerging players

• Trade Me Motors: NZ's largest online vehicle marketplace and Turners' channel partner. Both platforms share traffic and pricing; Trade Me Motors is a key competitor for private vehicle listings while also serving as Turners' primary digital marketplace partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/turnersauctions
• Instagraminstagram.com/turners_cars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/turners-auctions

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Turners Auctions Ltd